The Glory of Heaven
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light… But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes am abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 21:22–23,27
Here on earth we must always guard our hearts. Try as we might we are never able here to escape all the corrupting influences of the devil and the world away from God. We are wise if we get as far away from as many of them as we can, but we can never escape them all, for they come from within us, from within our own hearts.
These verses answer the question of whether or not there will be the possibility of humans ruining another paradise. The first one was ruined when the devil tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, and the world has been living with the consequences of that decision for all these millennia. But here is the solemn promise of God that in the city to which He will take us for eternity there will be no tempter, no possibility of sin.
No temple is necessary there because all of heaven is about God: In the earthly Jerusalem the temple set high on a hill reminded the people of the city, and of the towns and villages around it, of the means to draw near to God. On this sinful earth we need many reminders, as well as the means to draw near to God. This is why we build church buildings, places where the people of Christ can draw together to hear His Word proclaimed and to worship Him. Even in the most religious cities, with the largest churches, there is sin enough to distract and draw aside any human heart. But in heaven it will be all God.
No sun or moon is necessary there because all of heaven is illuminated by the glory of God. The imagery reflects the prophecy of Isaiah:
Arise, shine. For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you … The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory … For the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended (Isaiah 60:1,19–20).
God as our light means that His truth shall illuminate every heart. There will be no more guess work on our parts regarding interpretations or balancing the tension between various theological ideas. Rather all shall be clear. And this will create a new brotherhood, a new family. Paul wrote,
Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known (1 Cor. 13:12).
Our original parents were united perfectly before sin entered into the human situation. They were naked and felt no shame. And this depicts not only their physical condition but also the condition of their relationship. No fear of being judged, no concern of being misunderstood, no worries of retaliation, no distrust, jealousy, anger, divisiveness, or even mere impatience.
In the heavenly Jerusalem there will be a perfection and a reclaiming of all that was lost, and not only to bring us back to where the human race originally stood in its innocence, but to transport us even further into the environment of peace where there is no more tempter.
Admittedly, so much of our experience here on earth involves dealing with distrust and sin, that we can hardly begin to imagine what this will mean. It certainly won’t be boring, or tedious, or joyless — it will be exciting and joyful and wonderful beyond our best ideas.
For us today, there is wisdom found in drawing away from the world each day for a period of devotion with Christ, to let Him be our Light and our Truth and our Glory today. He gives what no one else can give — peace, love, joy, and every other grace gift spoken of in His Word.
